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Whether you're the kind of person who scoffs at New Year's
resolutions, or whether you faithfully make (and perhaps
even keep) them every year, I have a few suggestions
for 2005. These aren't the usual time-consuming or career-changing
"professional development" sorts of resolutions
people usually make, like getting a professional certification.
They're activities you might already be doing—but
if not, they can shift your perspective on your work
in small but useful ways.
Take a look at some new products. There are new
ESC devices on the market constantly—some disappear
rather quickly, and others become industry standards.
Just as surgeons, carpenters, and gourmet cooks have
dozens of specialized tools for the job, so too are
ESC specialists finding more to choose from. Rather
than completely replacing the old standards you've
grown used to, many of them can fit the bill for very
specific applications.
Take someone to a work site who might not otherwise
go. In the same spirit as "take your child
to work"day, stop and point out to someone—your
child, your neighbor, your golf partner, or anyone
working outside the field—the erosion and sediment
control measures on a job site. It doesn't have to
be one you're working on, maybe just one in the neighborhood.
Chances are they haven't paid much attention, but
they might have wondered about the black fabric fence
or the strange-looking bundles of fiber coiled around
a drainage inlet. Once they know what those things
are for, though, they'll start to see them everywhere,
and to think about why they're in place. (And even
to notice when they're missing.)
Take a class in something you don't know much
about. County extension offices, soil and water
conservation districts, and IECA chapters have much
to offer, and in addition to continuing education
or certification in your own field, it pays to spend
a day or two taking a class in something a bit outside
your realm. If revegetating a site is not something
you normally deal with, for instance, a session with
a county extension specialist on landscaping or native
plants will give you a greater appreciation for the
work that comes at a different stage of a project
than your own. And, as with the outsider who starts
to spot silt fence everywhere once you've drawn
his attention to it, you'll begin identifying
plants whose names you never knew and spotting snow
mold on the grass.
Attend local planning meetings. If your area is
launching a stormwater utility, revamping local building
ordinances, or even has a local citizens' group
starting a watershed protection group—and if
you're not already involved in some of these
public meetings—drop by occasionally. They'll
be glad if you're willing to volunteer your
expertise, but even if you go simply as an observer,
it's useful to hear what the local concerns
are and what the general level of understanding is
of ESC and watershed issues (often surprisingly sophisticated).
Hike the watershed. Or, depending where you are,
perhaps it's more of an urban stroll than a hike.
Many of us know the local topography intimately, but
if your work hasn't recently led you to trace the
drainage patterns or take an up-close look at what's
happening on the ground, it's eye-opening to do it
on your own.
The concerns ESC professionals deal with every day are,
by their nature, more closely connected to the local
conditions—physical, economic, and social—than
those of most other jobs. Reconnecting in small ways
with different aspects of the profession, and with
things going on in the community that are affected
by what we and our colleagues do, is a good at-least-once-a-year
reminder of why we do it.
Send
Janice an Email
EC
- January/February 2004
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